Today, the House voted to pass the anti-regulatory Achieving Less Excess in Regulation and Requiring Transparency Act (ALERRT Act) 236 to 179.
The title might have been clever if it weren’t a misspelling. As design, though, it looks stupid.
The bill is a combination of four bills that have been introduced by Republican representatives this Congress:
H.R. 2804, All Economic Regulations are Transparent Act, which requires federal agencies to report each month on new regulations they are planning as opposed to every six months as is currently the case and makes such regulations open to court challenges if such notice is not given.
H.R. 2122, Regulatory Accountability Act, which requires that federal agencies adopt the least costly method of implementing a law.
H.R. 2542, Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act, which requires federal agencies to consider and reduce impacts on small businesses before issuing new regulations.
H.R. 1493, Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act, which is an attempt by the GOP to attack the practice which they call "sue and settle," where federal agencies enter into settlements with plaintiffs seeking new regulations or stronger enforcement of existing ones.
10 Democrats joined the Republicans in voting for it:
John Barrow (GA-12)
Sanford Bishop (GA-02)
Henry Cuellar (TX-28)
Jim Matheson (UT-04)
Mike McIntyre (NC-07)
Patrick Murphy (FL-18)
Bill Owens (NY-21)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
Nick Rahall (WV-03)
Kurt Schrader (OR-05)
Scott Rothfus introduced an amendment that adds terms to define a negative-impact on jobs and wages rule, helps agencies identify a negative-impact on jobs and wages rule, and requires agency heads approving a negative-impact on jobs and wages rule to submit a statement that they approved the rule knowing of its negative-impact on jobs and wages.
It passed 249 to 162.
26 Democrats voted for it:
Ron Barber (AZ-02)
John Barrow (GA-12)
Ami Bera (CA-07)
Julia Brownley (CA-26)
Cheri Bustos (IL-17)
Jim Costa (CA-16)
Henry Cuellar (TX-28)
Tammy Duckworth (IL-08)
Bill Enyart (IL-12)
Bill Foster (IL-11)
Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02)
Pete Gallego (TX-23)
Daniel Lipinski (IL-03)
David Loebsack (IA-02)
Dan Maffei (NY-24)
Sean Maloney (NY-18)
Mike McIntyre (NC-07)
Patrick Murphy (FL-18)
Bill Owens (NY-23)
Scott Peters (CA-52)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
Nick Rahall (WV-03)
Raul Ruiz (CA-36)
Loretta Sanchez (CA-46)
Brad Schneider (IL-10)
Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09)
Gerry Connolly (VA-11) introduced an amendment to exempt any rule pertaining to air quality or water quality.
It failed 181 to 235.
2 Republicans voted for it: Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-08) and Chris Gibson (NY-19).
11 Democrats voted against it:
John Barrow (GA-12)
Sanford Bishop (GA-02)
Jim Costa (CA-16)
Pete Gallego (TX-23)
Gene Green (TX-29)
Nita Lowey (NY-17)
Jim Matheson (UT-04)
Bill Owens (NY-21)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
Nick Rahall (WV-03)
Kurt Schrader (OR-05)
Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18) introduced an amendment to exempt rules made by the Secretary of Homeland Security, or any consent decree or settlement made as a result of the rule.
It failed 180 to 232.
8 Democrats voted against it:
Jim Costa (CA-16)
Gene Green (TX-29)
Jim Matheson (UT-04)
Mike McIntyre (NC-07)
Bill Owens (NY-21)
Ed Perlmutter (CO-07)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
Kurt Schrader (OR-05
She introduced a second amendment to exempt any rule, consent decree, or settlement agreement that the Director of the Office of Management and Budget determines would result in net job creation or whose benefits exceeds its costs. It failed 179 to 235.
1 Republican voted for it: Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-03)
10 Democrats voted against it:
John Barrow (GA-12)
Sanford Bishop (GA-02)
Jim Costa (CA-16)
Alan Grayson (FL-09)
Gene Green (TX-29)
Jim Matheson (UT-04)
Bill Owens (NY-21)
Scott Peters (CA-52)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
Kurt Schrader (OR-05
George Miller (CA-11) introduced an amendment to exempt regulations proposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to prevent combustible dust explosions and fires.
It failed 183 to 229.
2 Republicans voted for it: Chris Gibson (NY-19) and David Reichert (WA-08).
7 Democrats voted against it.
Sanford Bishop (GA-02)
Jim Costa (CA-16)
Jim Matheson (UT-04)
Bill Owens (NY-21)
Scott Peters (CA-52)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
Kurt Schrader (OR-05
He introduced a second amendment to exempt any regulations, or modifications thereto, which have been recommended in writing by the Inspector General of a federal agency, including but not limited to those which would improve protections for taxpayers, students, public and workplace safety and health, or otherwise increase the effectiveness or efficiency of agency activities.
It failed 181 to 232.
1 Republican—Chris Gibson (NY-19)—voted for it.
8 Democrats voted against it.
John Barrow (GA-12)
Sanford Bishop (GA-02)
Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05)
Jim Costa (CA-16)
Jim Matheson (UT-04)
Bill Owens (NY-21)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
Kurt Schrader (OR-05
All amendment descriptions come from here or here.
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The House also passed the deceptively titled Consumer Financial Protection Safety and Soundness Improvement Act of 2013.
The bill is an attempt by Republicans to gut their bête noire, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau:
[T]he GOP bill would take the CFPB out of the Federal Reserve system, subject it to the regular appropriations process, and change its leadership to a five-member board with staggered terms. Republicans said that would make the entity far more responsible to Congress, and more open to moderate regulations that aren't dictated by a single party.
The bill would also rename the entity as the Financial Product Safety Commission, and would make it easier for the government's Financial Stability Oversight Council to overturn its regulatory proposals.
The bill
passed 232 to 182.
10 Democrats joined the Republican caucus in voting for the bill:
John Barrow (GA-12)
Henry Cuellar (TX-28)
Pete Gallego (TX-23)
Jim Matheson (UT-04)
Mike McIntyre (NC-07)
Rick Nolan (MN-08)
Bill Owens (NY-21)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
Nick Rahall (WV-03)
Kurt Schrader (OR-05)
Republican Scott Rigell (VA-02) introduced an amendment requiring the new commission to examine the financial impact of its regulations. It passed 250 to 167.
25 Democrats joined the Republicans in voting for it:
Ron Barber (AZ-02)
John Barrow (GA-12)
Ami Bera (CA-07)
Julia Brownley (CA-26)
Cheri Bustos (IL-17)
Jim Cooper (TN-04)
Jim Costa (CA-16)
Henry Cuellar (TX-28)
Suzanne DelBene (WA-01)
Tammy Duckworth (IL-08)
Pete Gallego (TX-23)
John Garamendi (CA-03)
Gene Green (TX-29)
Ann Kuster (NH-02)
Dan Maffei (NY-24)
Jim Matheson (UT-04)
Sean Maloney (NY-18)
Mike McIntyre (NC-07)
Bill Owens (NY-23)
Scott Peters (CA-52)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
Nick Rahall (WV-03)
Raul Ruiz (CA-36)
Brad Schneider (IL-10)
Kurt Schrader (OR-05)
Republican Ron DeSantis (FL-06) introduced an amendment striking language in Dodd-Frank that gives the CFPB the exclusive authority to write consumer financial rules. It passed 227 to 186.
4 Democrats voted for it: John Barrow (GA-12), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Mike McIntyre (NC-07), and Nick Rahall (WV-03).
Democrat Gwen Moore (WI-04) introduced an amendment adding a sense of Congress to praise the work of the CFPB. It failed 181 to 236.
12 Democrats joined the Republicans in voting against it:
John Barrow (GA-12)
Jim Costa (CA-16)
Henry Cuellar (TX-28)
Bill Foster (IL-11)
Pete Gallego (TX-23)
Raul Grijalva (AZ-03)
Dan Maffei (NY-24)
Jim Matheson (UT-04)
Scott Peters (CA-52)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
Nick Rahall (WV-03)
Kurt Schrader (OR-05)
Grijalva's vote here seems strange. Perhaps he voted no because he feels that the CFPB has not been doing enough to fulfill its mission.